More arrests expected as Joburg gets tough on graft
13 January 2017
The City of Joburg's anti-fraud and corruption crusade is gathering momentum following the recent suspension of 15 municipal workers and the arrest of eight others in a wide-ranging investigation, spanning many months.
The arrests come in the wake of a full-length investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption at the City's licensing stations, which revealed that between January 2008 and February 2016, 972 alleged fraudulent transactions at a total value of R14, 717, 444.00 were committed by City officials.
A total of 106 licensing station officials have been implicated in the citywide fraud and corruption investigation and are now facing several charges to that effect.
Addressing the media at the Metro Centre on Friday, 13 January, Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba said he is not deterred by claims by the South African Municipal Workers' Union that the fight against corrupt and fraudulent activities in the City is politically motivated.
Mayor Mashaba noted that the days of sitting on highly sensitive investigations and using political connections to carry out corrupt and fraudulent activities were over for City employees.
"The just under R15-million rands that was stolen by some City officials is the tip of the iceberg. There will be lots of cases in the next few days involving high amounts of money. The City of Joburg will walk the talk. Corruption will be dealt with without fear or favour," said Mayor Mashaba.
Mayor Mashaba's impromptu media conference was held in reaction to Samwu's media briefing earlier today, in which the union accused the Democratic Alliance-led administration of grandstanding and purging politically connected employees.
"It is alarming that Samwu is speaking out against the City for rooting out corruption. If Samwu is against corruption in all its manifestations, then why would it call a press conference in an attempt to discredit the City's efforts to deal with the scourge?" asked Mayor Mashaba.
Although the City has maintained some level of privacy by not disclosing the names of employees implicated in the investigation, Mayor Mashaba said some of the suspects in the licensing station saga lived way beyond their means.
"Some of the City's employees implicated in the investigation are family members of senior politicians in the country. They can't lead their current lifestyles with the salary they get from the City," he explained.
Samwu has raised questions about the manner in which the fraud and corruption investigation is being carried out, saying the licensing station officials were being unfairly targeted.
"If Samwu has evidence of corruption or irregular appointments elsewhere in the City, they must come forward like all whistle-blowers and test us to see if we will sit on cases like the previous administration," Mayor Mashaba said.